The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-11
AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT.
The Field, Farm and Garden.

me Fl6lQ, Farm ana GarCGn.
We solicit articles for this department.
The name of the writer should accompany
the letter or article, not necessarily for pub
LEGATION, but as an evidence of good faith.
Oil Mills and Cotton Seed Producers.
NC. Fitzsimmons, of Charleston, S. c.,
has rather interesting and valuable arti-
Gle in the Country Gentleman on oil mills
and cotton seed producers. He says: Mr..
Baldwins article shows a practical appre-
citation of the value of cotton seed, and l
feel that he, like myself, is only seeking for
the truth about the advantages and disad-
vantages of oil mills to the cotton seed pro-
ducers.
AS this question must be discussed from
every mans point Of view, beg to lay some
figures before him for his examination, and
would also like Prof. Stewart to state, after
examining my figures, if they do not show,
not only that the mills are help to tho
whole South Since the gross value of ton
of seed is doubled by being put into its pro-
ducts. but that the terms offered to the
planter by the mills indicate direct benefit
TO him. As I am not familiar with the
prices offered and asked for cotton seed and
its products i'll Mr.. Baldwin's territory,
will give those ruling in this Georgia, North
and South Carolina) for the last year, when
the price of seed was lower than in previous
years ION account Of the American Cotton
Oil Trust monopoly. and Mr.. Baldwin can
reduce the figures to his position to the mills.
leave out all allowance for middleman,
for any planter who raises p bales of cotton
produces II tons of cotton seed, which is
carload; consequently he can deal directly
with the manufacturer.
Now for facts as to cotton seed. In every
ton of 2,0O0 lbs. of clean seed there are 900
lbs. of bulls and 1000 lbs. of kernels tsee DR..
Dabney's agricultural report, State of North
Carolina, 1882. After the oil is extracted,
there remain about 700 lbs. of cake or meal.
The average analysis of cotton seed, per ton,
is Ammonia, 3 per cent. /; phosphoric acid,
per cent potash, per cent. The average
analysis Of meal, per ton, is: Ammonia, So
per cent phosphoric acid, 3 per cent; pot
ash, per cent. So that, in round numbers,
it takes, mechanically, three tons of seed to
produce one ton of meal, and scientifically
we have it proved that one ton of meal con-
tains lin round numbers three times as
much of ammonia, phosphoric acid and pot
ash as one ton of seed. The slight varia-
ton, mathematically, in the above is due to
the variation in the condition of the mill
machinery in process of manufacturing
do not think it necessary to ''split hairs"
with Mr. Baldwin, and am sure he will agree
that the above statements are sufficiently
accurate for practical purposes That the
plant food power Of the seed has not been
decreased, lies in the fact that the oil and
bulls contain but decimal amount of am
monia, phosphoric acid and potash per ton
of seed.
Now with the above facts before us, Twill
take the prices ruling for seed, meal and
hulls, in carload lots at the planters station,
consequently from his point of view The
price for seed was $40 per ton 1900 lbs.) :;
for hulls, S4 per ton; for meal, S23 per ton.
Now if he sells his seed for $40 per ton, one
half of which is bulls q 900 lbs) and he can
buy those hulls for So per 1000 lbs, is he not
buying his hulls back for just one-half of
what he has been paid for theml Again,
he gets $50 for three tons Of seed and buys
all the meal they produce zone tom for 1923.
Would not this give him his seed sacked,
ground and cooked, and 81 in addition,
which would be the price of his hullsl
Lastly, he gets $40 for one ton of seed, buys
all the meal it will produce for 81 &C (one-
third of 1929, and all the hulls it produces
for 81, making a total of 50 s.; so that if
he wishes both the hulls and meal returned,
the oil that the mill has secured has paid the
transportation both ways and the expense
of manufacturing, thereby saving him both
labor, time and money outlay in machinery.
Furthermore, if he will calculate what he
loses in weight by evaporation by holding
his seed for home consumption, he will find
that this item alone would pay for the haul
ing to the station.
Again, if he is going to use the meal di
rectly as fertilizer, he can apply it to the
soil for one-third of the cost of applying the
crude seed, with no risk of hurting the
"standn of his crop by ''sprouting." And
let me say that if every planter will take his
bulls back at the price he has been paid for
them, believe every mill would be willing
W duu One-ndu Oh UllaJ amount 10 Ule Orlgl-
nal price paid for his seed.
believe l am sustained in the following
opinions by the agricultural stations: That
when the whole seed or kernel is fed to ami
mails, large part Of the oil passes through
them without their deriving any direct ben
eiit therefrom; that the meal is considered
preferable, not only because it has been
cooked, but also because the oil cells having
been broken and a portion Of the oil taken
away, it is in better available condition as
a food
l will also state that if he tho planter
generally persists in thinking that the oil
Is something of fertilizer, there Is from 10
TO II per cent. OF oil left in the meal Now
OF the three things that he uses as a fer
uhzer, knowing them TO be plant food,
phosphoric acid is the largest quantity lie
purchases in any one ton of fertilizers, and
he seldom gets over 10 to IL per cent. of that
TO the ton.
Inc establishment of mills by the South
EN- Cotton Oil Company is an assured fact,
Us know that they are now erecting eight
mills between Texas and North Carolina.
competition is likely to be very brisk, so
mat the figures of the coming season, on